1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate developing treatment apparatus and a developing treatment method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a photolithography process, for example, in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a developing treatment of developing, for example, a wafer exposed to light under a predetermined pattern is performed. The developing treatment is generally performed in a developing treatment apparatus in such a manner that, for example, a wafer is rotated by a spin chuck, a developing solution is supplied onto the wafer from a developing solution supply nozzle to form a liquid film on the front surface of the wafer to thereby perform development of the wafer in the developing treatment.
In the above-described developing treatment apparatus, however, it is necessary to rotate the wafer and thus to use a rotation motor with a high torque for the spin chuck. Therefore, a large space is required for the motor, leading to a larger developing treatment apparatus. Further, a large power consumption is required for rotation of the motor, resulting in increased running cost.
Hence, it can be proposed to use a so-called spin-less developing treatment apparatus in which the wafer is not rotated. Presently, it is proposed that a roller-type conveyer using a plurality of rollers is used to carry the wafer to pass the wafer under the developing solution supply nozzle in order to develop the wafer (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-87721).
In the case of the developing treatment apparatus in which the wafer is carried by the roller-type carriage and developed, however, the rollers come into contact with the lower surface of the wafer contaminated with, for example, the developing solution. Therefore, the rollers are contaminated, and the contaminant adheres to other portions of the wafer or to other wafers and accordingly diffuses, thus spreading the particle source. This causes a large amount of particles and contaminates the wafer, for example, before it is developed, resulting in development defects.
Besides, as the developing treatment apparatus, a kind of developing treatment apparatus is used in which the developing solution supply nozzle moves along the front surface of the wafer while discharging the developing solution to supply the developing solution onto the entire front surface of the wafer.
However, in this kind of developing treatment apparatus, the developing solution supply nozzle supplies the developing solution while moving, with the result that the developing solution tends to flow and wave on the wafer. Therefore, the developing solution on the wafer might not become stable to cause unstable development. To solve this problem, it is proposed to hold, for example, a porous plate between the developing solution supply nozzle and the wafer and supply the developing solution onto the wafer through the porous plate so that the developing solution is sandwiched between the porous plate and the wafer (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-51008).
However, even with this technique, for example, the developing solution has a speed component in a predetermined direction at the time of supplying the developing solution, causing “shear resistance” at the interface between the porous plate and the developing solution. This shear resistance causes the developing solution on the wafer to wave to cause convection in the developing solution. When the convection occurs in the developing solution, the concentration of the developing solution on the wafer may vary, leading to nonuniform development. Further, the residual of the developing solution adheres to the pattern on the front surface of the wafer to cause a development defect at that portion.